Should Europe Innovate at US/China Speed?

Europe likes to see itself as precise, responsible and high-quality. But is that enough when the US and China are innovating, scaling and commercialising at a different speed? Probably not.

Vincent Hiligsmann (Melexis) brings the industry perspective. Melexis operates at the edge of advanced sensors, robotics and physical AI. Its robot finger use case shows Europe’s dilemma in a concrete way: the most difficult technological know-how can still be developed here, but scaling and industrialising that technology often requires access to faster international manufacturing ecosystems, including China.

Prof. Dorien Emmers (KU Leuven) brings the China perspective. How does China organise innovation? Why does it move so fast? What does Europe misunderstand about its economic and technological focus? And which lessons are useful without blindly copying a system that works under very different conditions?

Michael Broes (Moonbird) brings the health tech founder perspective. With Moonbird, he is building a European hardware-enabled health company that is expanding internationally, including towards the US. His experience shows where European startups hit friction when they move beyond their home market: speed, capital, distribution, positioning, regulation and commercial execution.

This is not a panel about copying China or Silicon Valley. It is about asking whether Europe should speed up, where it needs to stop hiding behind its own slowness, and what it should never sacrifice in the name of speed.